


Excuses

by doomcanary



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Episode Tag, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-20
Updated: 2014-03-20
Packaged: 2018-01-16 08:24:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1338667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doomcanary/pseuds/doomcanary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Episode tag to 1x09.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Excuses

“Merlin, why can't you just be angry with me?” Arthur shouts, spreading his hands.

“Because I'm not!” says Merlin.

“I could have killed you!”

Merlin plants his hands on his hips and glares at Arthur. Arthur subsides.

“Gaius drugged you, your father tried to get himself killed for you, and you want me to be angry with you as well?” says Merlin. “No. I'm not going to.”

“Why not?” says Arthur, and he sounds lost and bewildered. He goes to the table and drops disconsolately into a chair.

“Because,” says Merlin.

“That's not an answer,” snaps Arthur, with a flash of his usual regal poise.

Merlin puts his hand to his forehead in frustration, realises that it's exactly what his mother used to do when she was trying to explain something to him, and folds his arms instead.

“Because you've got enough on your plate,” he says. “Because the whole sodding world seems to be messing with you this week. And it's not fair. I don't care if you are the prince, and your father is the king. You don't have to have every single person in the world against you. I'm not going to shout at you just because you want to feel bad about what you did.”

“So you do think it was wrong.”

“I'm not saying I liked it,” says Merlin. “But you weren't exactly your usual self, you know? Imminent death and all that?”

“It doesn't matter. I wasn't trained as a knight so I could throw childish tantrums with a sword in my hand.”

“Arthur, for fuck's sake, listen to yourself! That wasn't childish! You thought you were going to die!”

“It's still not an excuse,” says Arthur, looking away.

“You don't need an excuse,” says Merlin. He opens his mouth to go on, and suddenly what he's about to say is too big to get out, and he stops and feels like his heart's flipping over in his chest. He clenches his hands, and says it anyway.

“You never need an excuse with me,” he says. “I love you too much for that.”

Arthur looks up at him, blue eyes startled and wide.

“Do you mean that?” he says.

“Yes,” says Merlin, a bit shakily. “Yes, I do.”

Arthur looks poleaxed. He just stares, his eyes wide, completely taken aback.

Merlin presses his lips together, trying not to smile. Arthur's definitely not going to like it if he laughs now.

“What?” says Arthur.

“You look like a complete twat,” says Merlin.

“Charming,” says Arthur, his eyes narrowing again.

“I said I love you, not 'let's go and spy on Gaius naked'.” There's a heady freedom in saying it out loud like that; he feels a little bubble of hysterical joy in his chest.

“Yes,” says Arthur, sitting back in his chair. “Yes you did, didn't you.”

Merlin's heart flips over again. Arthur tilts his head and gives Merlin a long, considering look; then he gets up and comes over. He reaches up to brush Merlin's cheek, and there's this little smile playing with the corners of his mouth. Merlin looks up into his eyes, and Arthur kisses him, more gently than he's ever done before, and slides his arms around Merlin's waist. Merlin's heart feels like it's trying to swell up and burst; he can hardly breathe, and it's a moment before he even manages to kss Arthur back.

When they finally break apart, Arthur gathers Merlin into his arms, and holds him very, very close. Merlin feels like a total girl, but he can't bring himself to care. He leans into Arthur, grins enormously into his shoulder, and tries not to shake. It helps that he can feel Arthur's heart racing too.

“All right,” says Arthur, right next to his ear. “I'll let you off being angry with me, just this once.”


End file.
